Travel Dreams: USA

Where is the number one place in the world that you would like to travel to?

Anywhere!

My number one, personally, is the Val d’Orcia, Tuscany, Italy. Just look at the photographs! It’s absolutely stunning. I’ve never been there, but I will one day. In the meantime, I’m going to consider my father’s words…

“Why would you want to go to Italy? You live in the greatest country on earth!”

Well… never mind why I want to go to Italy—but my father has a point. If you’re an American, like myself, you really do live in one of the most beautiful, diverse landscapes that God’s blessed earth has to offer. For crying out loud, we take up nearly a whole continent! Besides Canada, that is, which is also on my bucket list to visit.

In all seriousness, though, we have an awesome privilege to just drive or fly safely around the country with little government hassle (besides security at the airport—a necessary evil). Beyond this, the internet provides excellent resources on anywhere we want to go.

A favorite of mine which I plan to utilize in the near future—like fo reals, not just for daydreaming—is RoadTrippers.com. This site help you plan your road trip, locates nearby accommodations, food, and attractions, all the while calculating how much gas you’re going to need. This website is budget friendly and highly resourceful.

Okay. Same question again, but narrowed down now.

Where is the number one place in AMERICA that you would like to travel to?

I’m going to tell you of a place you may not have suspected. Don’t get me wrong, I plan to travel to the major sites such as Washington D.C., NYC, Cali, etc… but have you ever heard of Idaho? 

I’m just kidding, I know you have. But have you ever seriously considered it for a vacation (holiday) spot? Probably not. But you should. Because as far as my research informs me, this state has three of my favorite things: mountains, diverse wildlife, and history. Oh! And it's close enough to Oregon without taking on the hippies. YaknowwhatI'msayin? Take a look for yourself!

Where do you want to travel in America?

Miss Ryleigh

The Law & Marriage: The Supreme Court's Decision

Good afternoon everyone!

If you’re up to date with current events or ever look at Facebook’s trending section in the right hand corner of your screen, you will have noticed that a major decision has been made by the Supreme Court here in the United States.

Here is the down-low, in case you’re wondering.

The Supreme Court has agreed to determine whether laws regarding same-sex marriages should be a state-issue or a nation-issue. The constitution is national law, so if the Supreme Court rules that the constitution does not object to same-sex marriages or encourages freedom within these parameters, and that state laws that prohibit it infringes upon these rights as an American, than the Supreme Court will rule that states can no longer make laws regarding same-sex marriages. In fact, it will make same-sex-marriage a constitutional right. Conversely, if the opposite is found to be true, states will hold onto their right to make laws accordingly.

I encourage each individual to research this for the best understanding, but that is the simple explanation.

Unfortunately, the Supreme Court’s decision will most definitely not be simple.

Here is the main reason. Advocates of same-sex marriage pull from the argument that one’s sexual preference is a part of their identity as a human—a free human/citizen of the USA. Therefore, making laws against ones identity is wrong. This argument sounds fair enough.

GLAAD, an LGBT advocacy organization, and its CEO/President Sarah Kate Ellis demands that state laws prohibiting same-sex marriages are unfair because everyone should have the ability to “protect and care for the person [they] love”. She also cites that conflicting states laws on the matter are indignant and confusing.

There is a bigger picture here, though.

The question people should be asking themselves is if the government, state or country, should be making any laws regarding marriage at all.

To quote Jim Daly, “regardless of the outcome [of the Supreme Court’s decision], today’s news fails to recognize, appreciate and honor a key truth. Marriage is an institution that historically and culturally has always brought the two unique and complementary parts of humanity together into a lifetime, cooperative partnership that establishes and maintains the family.” He goes onto say that marriage shouldn’t be something that laws should be made out. You can read the full article here.

While I partially agree with this post, Daly fails to realize that by inferring that laws shouldn’t be made about marriage because it’s a moral issue offers more problems than solutions.

America was founded on the idea of morals. What is right and what is wrong. Our constitution was written based on these morals.

But… what actually is right and wrong?

In today’s society, what defines right and wrong is personal preference. I.e., if this feels right, it must be right for me. As long as I’m not hurting anyone, I’m good.

Right?

Wrong.

Besides the fact that this type of argument doesn’t take into account that personal decision also affect ones self—often more profoundly than they do anyone else—it fails to realize that feelings are weak justifications for actions.

I feel like eating a whole pizza. I’m not hurting anyone; but my body suffers regardless.

Racists feel superiority to other races. They act accordingly. In the time of the Civil War, a black person wasn’t even considered to be a full human. Why? Because white people felt themselves superior.

Advocates of same-sex marriage feel that what they’re doing or supporting is right and based on their American citizenship, the rights it divvies, and in the name of freedom and love that these feelings should be legally protected.

In all truth, though, most analogies are weak arguments.

The fact of the matter is that moral standards exist whether we believe them to be relative of objective. But if relativism is true (which is what same-sex marriages propose), than no one could critique one another for anything. Period.

Yet, it remains that we still do.

Furthermore, if there is no moral standard, than there is no such thing as moral progress. How ironic it is to claim, then, that legally guaranteeing approved same-sex marriages would be moral progress. It actually wouldn’t even matter.

“[If] there are no fixed moral standards… [accordingly] all moral change is equal, neither objectively good nor bad. So when slavery was abolished in America, this was not moral progress. Nor did we morally progress when women were granted the right to vote.” – The Love of Wisdom, Steven B. Cowan and James S. Spiegel, p. 329.

Most of us would agree, however, that these events did morally progress America. Meaning that their institutions improved the moral state of our nation.

Now advocates of same-sex marriage claim the same thing, but have removed the objective moral foundation on which those events were based on. The moral state of our nation is no longer based on anything; it is based on itself. And something that is based on itself is about as solid as air.

What was that moral foundation, then? God’s. The Holy Bible. It is what all moral claims are built on. Why? Because the moral foundation was poured by someone who is morally perfect.

Homosexuality is wrong (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Romans 1:25-28, 1 Corinthians 7:2). God hates it because it is in direct conflict with the way we are created and designed. It is not what is best for us. It is something that is done based on the volatile passions of the flesh. In other words, what feels right.

This is true whether one accepts the reality of God’s creating humanity or not. Biology, anatomy, and evolution itself are in opposition to homosexuality. There is no survival, the chief end of evolution, for the homosexual because the homosexual would run himself into extinction.

This is a moral issue because moral are real and have a real basis. A worldly government will never be perfect, but the Bible does say that it is in the hands of God (Romans 13:1-7). Therefore we should pray for our countries always, always, always (1 Timothy 2:1-3, 1 Peter 2:13-17).

Beyond this, however, I encourage Christians to remember that homosexuality is an issue, but it is no more wrong than any sexual sin, or any sin at all that Christian’s and non-Christians alike have committed.

All sins are equal in God’s eyes.

But the glorious thing is that God sent His Son and has already paid for everyone’s sins whether they accept Him or not. The goal of our life as Christians is not to judge those outside of the church (see 1 Corinthians 5:12-13), but to direct those people into a relationship with God so that they may experience His grace (not ours), love, and abundant relationship with Him. Do you not think we can trust him to bring the lives of 

His children into alignment with His word? But that follows, as we all know, after the relationship has been initiated.

So do not hate your fellow man, who has been uniquely created for a purpose and is loved by God yet hunted by the Enemy.

And pray for your nation and its leaders. Pray that God’s will would be accomplished in the Supreme Court’s decision. It may not look like what we expect it to, but never forget that you can trust Him even when this picture is bleak.

Miss Ryleigh

For further study I encourage people to read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and The Love of Wisdom, which was quoted in this article, by Steven B. Cowand & James S. Spiegel.

Passive Aggressiveness: What It Indicates and What to Do About It

Let’s just skip the intro and get right down to the nitty-gritty of this post.

Here is a reasonable question: what does passive-aggressive mean?

Now, for some, an image of a certain-someone popped into their mind before a definition did. Go ahead and laugh at that. No judgment. Been that person and known that person.

In fact, we all know them. That one person who just always seems to have a chip on their shoulder. Or maybe nothing every really seems to make them authentically happy. And for crying out loud just tell me what is wrong instead of letting me figure it out! But the most prevalent characteristic of passive-aggressive behavior is manipulation.

That’s right—manipulation. As in, “I’m going to behave this way to generate the outcome or response that I want/need”. Get the picture?

In other words, and by standard definition, passive aggressiveness is indirect aggression.

Those of us who have dabbled in passive aggressive behavior, such as myself, have hopefully discovered that it isn’t the most successful nor beneficial.

But there remains people who act this way whether it’s working out for them or not.

I would argue that about 25% of those who come off as passive aggressive are either being perceived wrong or are misdirecting a unique and delicate aspect of their personality.

The last three-quarters of the lot have a different problem, though.

No, it’s not that they’re just crummy people who need to lighten up and get on the communication train. Besides, quick fixes like this are about as effective as dollar store tape over a leak in a pipe. Amiright or amiright?

No, there is a serious spiritual issue at hand.

Leviticus 19:17 reads the following, “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.”

Okay, we’ve heard it before. Thou shall not hate… yadda yadda yadda. I think we can all agree that hate is bad. Love is good. I mean, come on, you can still quote most some of 1 Corinthians 13 after having memorized it in Awanas! Or was it church camp…?

In all seriousness, I’m not hating on your Bible memorization attempts or lack thereof (yet). I just want you to take a good look at that Scripture again and notice that, in this specific case, the hate it refers to derives from your heart—and stays there. UNLESS! Oh, what a glorious word. Unless you “reason frankly”… insert ‘communicate’ or ‘be honest about what is going on, about what you are feeling’. Because otherwise, you are inviting sin into your life because of the hate in your heart.

Spiritual dealings manifest physically.

Do you want to know why people or you yourself are passive aggressive? Because hate lies within the heart. Whether it is the hate of a person or something that they did, it doesn’t matter. The offense has been done and not been reconciled or brought before God. This is so paramount. I truly hope this resonates.

Keeping your hurts, rejections, disappointments, or whatever they may be, bound inside of your heart festers hate. And hate will find an outlet, whether in body, thoughts, words, or actions.

The fix is not easy. The pride of every human demands that we not be vulnerable with those who wronged us. But that little feeling of power and dignity in your chest isn’t worth the damage that it wreaks on your heart, on your emotions, and on those around you.

That is what communication is: being vulnerable; divulging your real thoughts and feelings.

Finding solutions and not being intentionally aloof. That is how relationships are fed and nurtured. Silence is deadly. Communication is healing.

And if you haven’t figured it out by now… the only thing humans are about is other humans and all of our relationships with God.

Miss Ryleigh